Sunderland boss explains what happened with that striker deal - and where the club stand now

Tony Mowbray says he is unsure whether Sunderland will conclude a deal for the striker target who has on the brink of joining last week, but insists the club are working hard to reinforce their forward line.

Mowbray was hoping for a loan addition last weekend with the broad strokes of a deal agreed, but revealed that issues with the parent club have delayed the move.

It is unclear at this stage whether it will progress, but is unlikely unless those hurdles are overcome. Mowbray did say that there were three or four potential avenues the club were pursuing.

Fulham's Jay Stansfield was one of the players Sunderland were interested in.

"I honestly don't know where that stands at this point, and that's me being honest," Mowbray said.

"I thought it was done, and I wouldn't have said so otherwise. I'd spoken to the manager and he'd spoken to the boy, and so we thought we were ready to get it done.

"It didn't happen, I think there has been an issue in terms of his contractual situation there and it's become complicated. They obviously thought that was going to resolved easily [and then he could move], but that wasn't the case.

"Whether it's going to happen or not, or whether he ends up up somewhere else, I don't know."

Reports in Ukraine say Sunderland have moved closed to reaching an agreement for striker/wide forward Nazariy Rusyn, who has been a long-term target for the club over the summer.

Rusyn is a versatile attacker who would command a fee and while Mowbray said he had no update on the move for the 24-year-old, he insisted that he was confident business would be done before the deadline at the end of next week.

The head coach also revealed that summer signing Eliezer Mayende could be fit to resume training at some stage shortly after the upcoming international break.

"I haven't got any new information on that," Mowbray said.

"We're all working hard behind the scenes. We're all frustrated.

"Everybody is working really hard to try and get deals and lots of deals feel like they're on the cusp. I feel like I've sat here for the last three or four press conferences and said tomorrow someone will be in and they haven't. I don't tell lies.

"We're trying really hard to get these deals done and they're not easy. It's always time against money. As the window rolls down some clubs realise this deal might fall away and then it becomes more urgent.

"I have to sit here and be confident that by the end of this window we'll have some strikers in the building and by the end of the international break, the likes of Ross Stewart who's out on the grass kicking balls about every day now, who's to say he's not about ready.

"The young French lad Eliezer is telling me he's only two or three weeks away as well."

Mowbray has to weigh up whether to bring Hemir back into the side for this weekend's trip to Coventry City, with Patrick Roberts ruled out due to a hamstring problem.